The Firmlever Weekly Roundup: Issue #21

This Week's Sponsor:

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Let’s make this quick. Answer these 4 questions to see if offshore hiring could help your firm:

Is your hiring process dragging past 90 days (and still no perfect fit)?

Can your firm support remote team members?

If you had more capacity, could you take on more clients?

If you could hire U.S.-equivalent talent overseas and save ~70% on labor costs, would you?

If you answered “Yes” to even one, it’s time to talk to Cloud Accountant Staffing.

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And now, to this week's Highlights...

The Highlights

1. NEW REPORT: The State of Offshore Staffing for US Accounting Firms (2022–2025) - 35 pages: An in-depth 35-page report examines the evolving offshoring landscape for U.S. accounting firms (2022–2025) by analyzing diverse sourcing models, profiling key talent hubs like the Philippines, India, Mexico, and South Africa, and offering forward-looking insights on hybrid strategies, AI integration, and market challenges to equip firms with strategic guidance for leveraging automation and outsourcing. ($197)
   

   

2. Professional Services 5-Year Plan Template: This template unifies your client pipeline, consultant hours, and bottom-line profitability into a clear roadmap. It provides real-time insights on staffing needs, bill rates, and margin projections so you can plan for growth with confidence—without burning out your team. (This Firmlever Community Template courtesy of Nate Saperia of Saperia Consulting LLC).

   

3. Introducing Community Templates for Firms: We're now selecting our next round of community templates--you can upload yours here. If you want some free exposure to our larger community of thousands of firm runners, entrepreneurs and business owners, this is for you.

   

Brought to you by:

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What Else I'm Tracking This Week:

1. Offshoring these days is getting worse: A semi-controversial LinkedIn post that ignited 96 comments and led to a few incredible partnerships (including this week's podcast episode where I unpack the story of an accountant who built his firm from a lonely solo office to a $400M global powerhouse).

2. The First "AI Spreadsheet": I came across Sourcetable recently and thought it looked pretty promising for SMB accountants. It’s a spreadsheet platform that integrates AI-driven features like auto-generated formulas, quick data cleaning, and easy chart creation—all in a familiar interface. You can also connect different data sources in one place, which is handy if you’re juggling lots of information. Might be worth a look if you want to streamline reporting and analysis without slogging through everything manually.

3. Introducing 4o Image Generation: OpenAI releases an image creation breakthrough (some freelance graphics folks may be losing jobs over this). If you want to go deeper here is an excellent write-up (maybe forward to your freelance graphic designer and she can be better with AI?).

4. Scheduling is now open for guests on my new podcast, Pitch Your Firm. (Apply Here):

In our latest episode that just dropped today you will learn:

1. Uncover how 18 acquisitions drove this one accountant from a solo shop to $400M

2. The ‘smart-shoring’ method that slashes stress (and overhead) for SMBs

3. Productizing your services for double the margins—no extra staff needed

4. The one KPI that can 10X your firm’s valuation overnight

5. Cross-selling secrets that turn small engagements into six-figure wins

6. The massive ‘join-for-growth’ opportunity giving smaller firms a global, public-exit pathway

Invite Friends, Get Free Stuff

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15 referrals: 60 Minute 1-on-1 Coaching Call with Me ($600 value)

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